Exclusive Interview with KID CONGO POWERS

Michael: This is my second interview now. My first one was with Lux and Ivy in 2003. They were very kind !

Kid: They ARE very kind.........but i didn't say WHAT kind (laughs)

Michael: I have to give you some presents first, from Sean (Scottland) and from Patrick (France), both huge The Cramps fans. Patrick's private Photos from a Cramps show in France 1981 and Sean's wonderful CD (Vol. 1 and 2) of "TRASH IS NEAT" including the rarest live tunes of the Cramps !

Kid: Thank you very much ! I will put the photos on my website and the CD's be good for the tour-van !

Michael: Let's start with the most difficult question:

In the sleeve notes to "How to Make a Monster" it states:
"We parted company with Kid Congo right after we recorded "Smell of Female"... When we got back to Hollywood and went to mix the tracks, we discovered his performance was unusable on some tracks, which necessitated Ivy overdubbing his parts. Frustrated by his apathetic attitude, we realized this line-up had run it's course."
How do you feel about that ?

Kid: She says that a lot. Actually it's true on some tracks. I am not so angry about that. She did overdub some stuff, yeah. She's a very big perfectionist. I don't agree there were circumstances about that. However, it's her choice, it's her band. They can do whatever they want. She didn't overdub everything, it's defenitly me playing most of the tracks.
She used to say that a lot about Bryan too. "I had to redo everything". You know, I was only playing guitar for one year. I didn't "really" knew how to play the guitar. I thought "How can I remember all this different songs ?" I was young and only touched the guitar for one year.

Michael: How old have you been ?

Kid: 20......21
I wasn't very experienced. Sometimes a little shy. I had to find my own "voice" in playing guitar.
Jungle Hop, Faster Pussycat...that's she playing on that. So that was her choice .... they ended up getting a bass player after this. They wanted something different. The style was really changing when i joined, you know. "Psychedelic Jungle" is very different from the rest of their records.Considering that, I was very good, I think I came off very good and I knew how to make myself a CRAMP.
They always say "he was more a fan of The Cramps". I can agree with that. I was a big fan of theirs. I don't know why she feels the need to say that. I respect Ivy, she is an amazing guitar player and I learned a lot of stuff from her.
When I was in the band, it was a very bad time for The CRAMPS. They have been in really big trouble with the record company and Miles Copeland. A lot of meetings with lawyers, we couldn't record a new album although we wanted to. We just played a lot live to survive. The mood was not the best, you now. It wasn't the best time for them. It was the best time for me because I was a young boy and I was in The Cramps.
So i don't hold this against her. It's Lux's and Ivy's band and I was just a hired person. And I am very proud of that time.

Michael: Is it true that you knocked at their door to ask them to take you as a guitar player ?

Kid: Yeah, I was throwing a rock at their window. (laughs). I can remember, they called me and i met with Ivy and Lux, with Ivy mostly 'cause she is the boss. So I said "Do you want me to make an audition or play with you and see...?" and she said "No, we just want you to be in our band" and "What would you sacrifice for our band ?"
I said "Do you want me to quit The Gun Club or to quit college...? What do you mean ?"
She asked "No, would you offer a finger ?" So that was the way to say "Cramps and Cramps only" (laughs). I was willing to do this. I asked Jeffrey Lee Pierce and said "I don't wanna quit The Gun Club" and he said "Are you crazy ?.... of course you will !" You know, because to that time The Gun Club didn't ever record or anything, we were just playing to 10 people every night. So to us The Cramps were giant, huge rock stars. It was a good opportunity. Jeffrey said "Just make sure The Gun Club get some support gigs" (laughs). So they became famous themselfes... it all worked out for everybody.

Michael: Are you still into that CRAMPS stuff or you don't care about it anymore ?

Kid: I try to keep up for what they do. I haven't seen a live show for a long time. And that's what The Cramps are for me, a live band ! I never ever was disappointed with a live show.

Michael: How many live shows did you see before you joined them ?

Kid: Oh, several, a lot ! First I saw them in New York when I was 18 years old. They played in many different clubs where I wanted to see them every time and I was in the very front ! Me and my friends were totally into everything about them. Cause they were funny, sexy, some kinda stupid and kinda scary and dangerous, you didn't know what was serious. You know, you felt so many different ways about them. But most of all they were very sexy !
That's the best thing in music for me... if a band is sexy. I find that in many different ways but The Cramps are always sexy.

Michael: At a live show you expect a lot, although you don't know what to expect and sometimes you get really surprised !

Kid: Yeah. You know, I still like the records, actually I really like to meet with them. I haven't seen them in a while but everytime they play in New York, I'm always there.
And I got an email from Ivy where she was telling me that she likes The Knoxville Girls record.

Michael: What do you think about their last record, Fiends Of Dope Island ?

Kid: I only heard a few tracks of it, I don't own it. But it sounded like The Cramps !

Michael: That's what they should, sound like The Cramps !

Kid: The thing I admire about them and their records is that they really stick to their vision. I like to do a lot of different things myself. That's probably why i don't survive as a Cramp. Or why that's not the right place for me.

Michael: Yes, your last song today evening was very experimental, I think...

Kid: It was a version of "Sister Ray" from the Velvet Underground. We do a lot of cover versions. We like to keep ourselfes amused.

Michael: What's your favorite Cramps song ?

Kid: New Kind Of Kick, or I Can't Find My Mind, or Human Fly ... there are so many !
With Bryan Gregory it's Garbageman. With me it's New Kind Of Kick... actually it's me and Ivy playing on that. I remember I was playing the guitar and Ivy was twisting the speed on the amp. I just love how that came out. Still every time I hear that i get a little bit ...mmmmmmmhh (smiles).
The sound is so great, it's so primitive sound, it's so loud on the 12". One of the loudest records I have ever owned.

Michael: They still play that song LIVE.

Kid: Of course, they should. It's a hit.

Michael: What do you think about the changing from the 2 guitar set to the bass/guitar set ?

Kid: It was never planed when I was in the band. The thing I like about the 2 guitars is, it was full of rhythm, and to me that was super sexy. To this time there wasn't another band like this, rock'n'roll band like this. And when they got the bass it got a lot more Rockabilly, "Burn It Down Rockabilly". I would like to see them do more of the Psychedelic Style. But that's of course my opinion.
They should ask me now to join again, i can play guitar now, hahahaha.

Michael: You didn't play many songs on the guitar today...

Kid: I usualy play more but my guitar broke.

Michael: Yes, i haven't seen so many broken guitar strings like in your band today. (see picture)



Kid: Yeah, we play hard.

Michael: Do you know anything about Nick Knox ? Why he parted...or...

Kid: I have no idea. There are many rumours but i don't hear of him playing music. Last time i saw him playing was kinda crazy. He played a track like slow down and then fast again. We didn't know what was goin' on. It wasn't how it was supposed to sound. So i didn't really even know what happened with Nick. I didn't ask 'cause i didn't wanna hear something bad. Cause i really love Nick. On tour he was always my room mate.

Here i lost some files from the interview, i hope to get them back to life soon.


Michael: (showing Kid some photos from a good friend, Patrick from France). Do you remember the concert in France in 1981 where very agressive guys came on stage and you had a little fight with them, you even hit one with your guitar ?

Kid: laughs. I don't remember. Some shows went really crazy... it's possible... I wonder where it was.

Michael: In Paris.

Kid: Oh, Prais. That was really crazy, i remember that concert. There were so many people, they were stuffed inside the PA. I remember it really wild but i don't remember the fight. They were several ... I hope i didn't hurt somebody... unless they hit me...
We even had some crazy show with this band (The Pink Monkey Birds).



Michael: How is the french audience ?

Kid: Very passionate ! More than the deutsch-audience.

Michael: German audience is very ... calmly...

Kid: Well, they are good, but they react different. They often wait until the end of the show to react. The french are reacting from the minute you come on stage.

Michael: I think italians are very passionate too.

Kid: Yeah, I think this is cultural... R'n'R culture is different to different places, you know. American audience is different too.



Michael: Ok, do you want to say something special to the fans through our website ?

Kid: Oh, i would like to say "Thank You" to the people who are still interested in what i am doin' as a result of my work with the Cramps.
You know, everything i do has an influence from the Cramps. I never try to copy them, or try to be the Cramps. That's Lux and Ivys vision, not my vision. The Gun Club is much more my vision. But i see a lot influence even in this band (Pink Monkey Birds). I really want to make a NY type of band... a band of things that influenced me when i got really seriously interested in music. I was grew up with lots of different music. I liked really horrible stuff like "Yes" or "Jethro Tull", you know. But also 1970ies, Lou Reed like there's "Transformer" or "Coney Island Baby" or "Sally Can't Dance". That was like earlier, down underground, of course. And New York Dolls, of course. That was all before i played the guitar. And i became a fan of the Cramps. All that made me and Jeffrey Lee Pierce make the Gun Club. We even wrote a song for Ivy...
So that is what the idea of this band is. Really all those influences and the Cramps are included. Well, i look back on these days like someone looks back on their first sweetheart in school. So that's it.
I just want to say "Thank You" to those who are still interested and i hope they keep interested. I hope to see more Cramps shows and i hope they keep making music.

Michael: Thank you so much for this interview.

Kid: Thank you.

We (Kid, Jack Martin the second guitarist and me) chatted a little bit more about music and life and we made some photos.
It was a wonderful interview because Kid is so friendly and nice. I am so glad that i asked him and i am happy that i was able to meet him personally.
Hopefully i was able to make you smile somtimes while reading that and you did enjoy it.
Cheers,
Michael the Mutant